Book’s author appreciates support, reactions

November 5, 2013

My book, "Go Ahead and Break Your Child's Heart," was released from the publisher in late August. It carries a hard-to-love title, yet it does bring to bear a genuine message for parents and leaders of middle school and high school age young adults.

It want to personally thank so many folks in the Marietta community for their many compliments and personal comments about my first and last writing effort. I can tell you that I have received countless phone calls, notes and emails from parents who live in a broad geographical area ... their messages have been humorous, engaging and, at times, very sad. Parents bluntly told me that they "waited too long to establish clear behavior expectations" for their son or daughter. Many admitted that they "got over involved in leadership roles belonging to teachers and coaches while neglecting their own responsibilities." The damage created by politically active parents as they act to "run almost everything" was a very "touchy point" offered by quite a few contacts.

More specifically, those parents who contacted me offered stories about their child's poor decisions relative to friend selection, drug usage, alcohol usage, deteriorating academic performance, and uncontrollable social hours. Most parents who called admitted that they in fact did not manage their child's lifestyle successfully. Their regrets were sincere and impressive. Most felt they still have a chance to rectify their mistakes. To which I always responded, "children are worth everything and anything you can provide, but enjoy them as friends when they are 30, not now."

Schafer Leather, Gold Line Jewelers, Twisted Sisters, Jewelry By Design, All Pro Nutrition and H. Rietz & Company continue to help with the book selling process. Each store owner understands that all funds from book sales will go to Federal Hocking High School in honor of Lamarr Wilder. As you probably know, I dedicated the book to Wilder. You can read his story at the onset of the book.

However, the purpose of this letter is to personally thank everyone for their support of my fundraising effort on behalf of Lamarr Wilder and Federal Hocking High School.

As just a side note, many have said that the best quote in my book is, "What every child needs is one less friend and one more parent." Parents must not permit their child to become the "victim" of today's tough times.